Smile Back
by youaremyremedy
Summary: As the end of her high school career comes to an end, all Maddie is focused on is her music career. Will running into a local guitarist help her or hurt her chances? Will love conquer all, or is it just another distraction from her dreams? Rated M. AU.
1. Forever Young

_Hey, y'all! So, I wanted to try something out. I've written for Grey's Anatomy for years and I wanted to try something new. I'm focusing this around Maddie at the end of her high school career and into her actual career. I write AU, so certain things will be a tad bit off from the show. Thanks so much._

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 **September 2017**

She walked the perimeter of her room, running her fingertips along the walls. She couldn't seem to get her brain to work in the way she wanted it to today. Her alarm telling her to wake up started blaring. "You're an hour too late," She mumbled, pulling her blonde hair into a messy bun at the top of her head.

The seventeen year nestled back into her queen size bed, pulling her journal in her lap. Her pen tapped against her guitar seven times before the doodles started in the corner. "I'm out here, like a… like a…" She groaned, flinging herself horizontal on her bed.

A light knock on her door didn't make her flinch, "Hey, sweetie, you awake?" Her father pushed her door open. "Oh, early morning?"

"How long does writer's block last? Do you ever have this issue?" Maddie Conrad stared at the ceiling, throwing her pen across the room.

"Just about every day, sweetie," He leaned against the doorframe. "The best thing to do is to step away from it. Speaking of, Mom has breakfast cooking."

"All right," She mumbled, slowly sitting back up. She ran her thumb across the strings of her guitar. Maddie got out of her bed, looking into her full-length mirror. Flattening her school uniform, she couldn't be more excited to retire this outfit in a few short months.

"Morning, Daph," She ruffled her little sister's hair, grabbing the stool next to her. "Morning, Mom."

Rayna smiled, dropping down a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her daughter. "I heard you were up early."

"Just trying to get some writing done. I'm stuck on the second verse and I just can't… I'm stuck," Maddie played with her fork, not really in the mood for any food at all. "Dad thinks I should just step away from it."

Rayna glanced at Deacon, who was leaning against the counter with a newspaper in his hands. He looked up, "Well, it's true."

"I think we should focus more on our history paper, Maddie," She leaned against the opposite counter.

Maddie internally rolled her eyes. She let out a breath to stop her from letting out something that she would, most likely, regret in a few hours. "What does that have to do with music?"

"I'm going to go change," Daphne jumped off her stool, immediately running up the staircase.

Deacon chuckled, placing the newspaper down next to him, knowing exactly how this was going to continue. Ranya leaned forward against the opposite counter, both hands holding her up. "Maddie, your focus is school. That was the deal we made. You graduate, and then we talk about music."

"So, I can't write? I can't look at my guitar?" She frowned. "How is anything I'm learning in school actually going to help me?" As soon as Maddie let the words come from her mouth, she knew the lecture that was coming.

"Ray," Deacon looked at her.

Rayna ignored the cautious warning. "Math. Future contracts. History. A big part of what you do come from a lot of history. Public speaking. Self-explanatory. English. Self-explanatory."

Maddie held her hands up in defense. "This is _so_ unfair. You started your career at sixteen! Why couldn't I do that?"

She sighed, "Maddie, I love you. You have your whole life for your career. You have four months until graduation. With grades like this?" She held up the 65% history paper from last week. "You wont be graduating until June. Let's keep our focus, okay?"

Maddie took not a single bite of her food, but pushed the plate forward. She stopped her feet to the stairs, "I can't wait to move out." She continued the tantrum all the way to her bedroom, slamming her door closed.

Rayna looked over at Deacon with a fake smile, "Nothing like starting the day off with World War Three." He came over to her, dropping a kiss against her temple. "I have to get to Highway 65. Can you drop the kids off at school?"

"Absolutely," He smiled. "I'll be there right after." Rayna nodded, grabbing her bag. She kissed her husband gently before running out the front door. "Girls! The bus is leaving!"

Maddie groaned, grabbing her backpack. When she finally made it to the foyer her father and Daphne were waiting. One was definitely more patient than the other. "Can we leave?" Daphne huffed.

"Yes, come on," Deacon opened the front door. The ride was quiet. Daphne had her headphones in her ears. Maddie's eyes were glued to her cell phone. After Daphne had jumped from the car, Deacon sighed. "Maddie."

"Dad, I don't want to talk about it anymore," She looked out the window, playing with the ends of her hair. "Four months and I can start an EP, right? With Highway 65?"

Deacon pulled along the curb of his daughter's high school. "We will discuss it, but yes."

Finally, Maddie had a huge smile playing on her lips. "Really? You promise?" Deacon just nodded, trying to figure out how much trouble he was going to be in for this one. "I love you, Dad!" She kissed his cheek before jumping out of the car.

She put her headphone into her ears, making her way to class. She stopped at her locker, pulling out her textbooks for the first two blocks. "Jesus!" Maddie jumped as someone grabbed her arm. She ripped her headphones out, looking towards her best friend. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry!" Savannah Anderson laughed. "You look happy." Maddie smiled to herself, casually flipping her hair over her shoulder. The pair started down the hall, heading to their first class of the day. "I'm going to make you even happier. My cousin, you know, the one that goes to Vandy? He got us into his show tonight. VIP! I'll pick you up at eight!"

Maddie paused, "I don't know if my parents are going to let me go, Sav."

"Just tell them you're coming to my house for girl's night or something. He said it's going to be a full house. You _have_ to come!" Savannah gushed. "Plus, they don't even care if you're twenty-one in VIP."

Maddie just nodded, "Okay. I'll figure something out." Savannah squealed in excitement. "You are a little too excited, Sav."

"Oh, don't try to play it cool. You know you're excited, too. What are you going to wear? I think I might wear that black and pink dress I bought downtown last weekend. What do you think?"

"I think your words per minute are getting way too high for this early in the morning," She shook her head with a smile. "Come on, we're going to be late."

x.x.x

Maddie sat in the black swivel chair into the studio in her house. Her knees were up to her chest as she spun around slowly. She looked at the walls decorated with awards, platinum albums, and pictures of her parents.

She picked up her guitar, strumming out a few notes while humming to her tune. "I can't think of anything," She sang out in tune. "And, this sucks."

"That's the next hit," Deacon clapped a few times, moving to sit on the couch. "How was school? Did you get your homework done, sweetie?"

"Dad, it's Friday," Maddie frowned, placing her guitar to the side. "Actually, I was wondering if I could hang out with Savannah, tonight? You know, just a normal girls night." She swallowed hard, absolutely hating the fact that she was lying to her father.

"I don't see why not," He nodded.

A smile spread across her lips, "Thank you!"

"You know, sometimes asking for help can get you through a song. I'd say ninety-five percent of my songs were assisted with your mother's help. You and I can collaborate on something."

"Thanks, but I think I'm going to try to finish this one on my own," Maddie jumped up, grabbed a hold of her guitar. She left the studio, bouncing back to her room. "Hey, Sav."

"So? What did they say?"

Maddie opened her closet up, flipping through her clothes. "Yes, I'm coming to girls' night. Now, I just need to figure out what to wear. I'm going to get ready. I'll see you in an hour, right?"

"Yes!"

She tossed her phone on her bed with a smile and a shake of her head. She pulled a pair of jeans out and a pair of black boots that would reach her mid calf. Now, for her top. _Sigh._ Maddie pulled out a light blush-colored floral top. "I guess this will work."

The hour flew by quicker than she had expected it to. _I'm outside._ Maddie grabbed her bag before flying down the stairs. "You're a little dressed up to be staying in, don't you think?" Deacon frowned.

"This is what girl do," She smiled. "We get dressed up to do nothing. Savannah's outside. I'll see you tomorrow!" Maddie didn't wait for a response before running and jumping into her friend's car.

"Oh, you look hot!" She laughed, pulling off. "So, I'm pretty sure I've already got us going to one of the band member's after party tonight. You're okay with that, right? Starting getting your feet wet with the music industry?"

"Oh, yeah, okay," Maddie nodded. It wasn't a bad suggestion. The rest of the car ride went quickly. The pair was dancing to the radio, having a great time. Savannah pulled her car into a parking lot, shutting it off. "You're sure we can get it?"

"I got it covered! Come on," Savannah jumped from her car with Maddie in tow. They went to the back entrance of the building. "Hi, I-"

"Maddie? Is that you?"

"And you might have the new record for recognizing me," She laughed nervously. "Yes, it is. This is my friend Savannah."

"Pleasure," The security officer nodded. Maddie had absolutely no idea who this man was, but he obviously knew her parents. It was one or the other, sometimes both. This type of interaction was more common than she'd like to admit. "Do you have a table reserved?"

"Yes, we do," She nodded.

"Well, anytime you want to come by, there will always be a table for you. Give your Dad my best, will you?" He held the door open for the two.

"Absolutely!" Maddie stepped into the building, exhaling the breath she was holding. "Oh, my god. That was terrifying."

"That was awesome! Come on, let's go!" Savannah grabbed her friend's hand as they headed into the venue. Maddie was taken a back by the sight in front of her. The stage was huge. There were people all over the dance floor, swaying along to the music that was being played. A few tables lined the one side of the floor, all with reserved signs on them. "You ready to have some fun?"

Maddie looked towards her friend with a nod, "Let's do it."


	2. Keep Coming Back

It took a long time for Maddie to get comfortable. She kept looking over her shoulder, waiting for someone to pull her out of there. She finally started to relax, enjoying the live music that was only a few feet from her. "Shots, Maddie!"

She picked up her club soda and just shrugged, "I'm okay. If someone has to drive later… you know," she trailed off. At this point, Maddie was more focused on the music, than the conversations happening at her table. It was herself and Savannah, along with three of Savannah's cousin's friends.

"We're just walking a few blocks away," Savannah shrugged, "I'm leaving my car here."

Maddie just gave her friend a small smile, with a nod, turning her gaze back to the stage. Everything in her body was telling her this was a bad idea. Still, she tried to enjoy her time to the best of her ability. "Oh, there he is!"

"Yeah, yeah," Another male joined the group, pulling up a chair. He sat with his elbows against his knees; a bottle of miller lite in his hand. "Find some fan girls?"

"This is Josh's cousin, Savannah and her friend, uh…"

She looked to her right, "Maddie," She stared at the new addition to the group. Her breath hitched in her throat momentarily, taking in his features. His dark hair was ruffled, pushed to the side. She could easy see the outline of his muscles in his dark t-shirt. Maddie came back to reality, quickly, "And, I'm definitely not a fan girl."

"Oh, well," He chuckled, "My apologies, Darlin'. My name's Noah," He extended his hand towards her.

Maddie shook his hand slowly. "Maddie's going to be the next Nashville superstar, actually," Savannah smiled, cuddling up close the one of the nameless guys next to her.

"Oh, are you now?" Noah raised an eyebrow. "That's a pretty bold statement your friend's making over there."

"You should hear her sing. Seriously."

Maddie blushed, shooting a glare at her friend. She settled back in her seat, focusing back on the set. When the music came to an end, she felt a tap on her shoulder, jumping in response. "Juliette! Hi!"

"I thought that was you!" She smiled, giving her a quick hug. "How are you? How's the music going?"

"It's… going," She nodded, already feeling at least four pairs of eyes burning the back of her head. "I think we're getting out of here soon, but I'll see you soon!" As much as she adored Juliette, she also didn't need these strangers to know certain details on her life. And, knowing Juliette, that happened quite often. When she sat back down, everyone was staring at her, expect for Noah. He just looked amused, "Family friend. Nashville's a small city."

"Yeah, it's only 1.8 million people," Noah glanced at her with a smirk.

"Okay, so are we ready to go?" Savannah perked up. Soon enough the group was heading down Broadway. Savannah was hand in hand with stranger number one. The three other men were messing around on the sidewalk. Maddie had her arms wrapped around herself casually, leading the back of the pack.

"You know, I was just messing with you, right?" Noah fell into step with her, shoving his hands in his front pockets.

"What?" She looked up at him, realizing that he had a good foot on her. "Oh, it's fine."

"I try to do the music thing, too. I get it-"

"Mac, you have keys?"

"And, I get to babysit all of my roommates, too," He shook his head, running ahead to the front of his house. "Out of the three of you, none of you could manage to bring a set of keys with you? Sam, you're the responsible one."

"That's debatable," He chuckled, wrapping an arm around Savannah's waist. As they headed into the house, Savannah and Maddie sat down on an empty couch. "You guys want beer?"

"We'll take two," Savannah called out.

Noah sat down on his usual recliner with one leg extended and one bent. He had a glass of bourbon in his hand. "Want to try a _real_ drink? I didn't drink out of it yet, so you wont get my cooties."

Maddie laughed, taking a hold of it. At this point, screw it. She took a decent sip before handing it back to him. "That was… really good actually."

"Sam, can you grab Maddie a glass of my bourbon?" Noah called out.

"Thanks," Maddie pulled her feet under herself. She looked around the living room of the house. It seemed like a typical bachelor pad. There were some posters on the walls. Dishes were piled in the sink in the kitchen. The television was already set on ESPN. She looked to her side to see Savannah and Sam already embraced in each other. "That was quick," She mumbled to herself.

"I'm not surprised," Noah shook his head, flipping through the television stations, landing on a country music station.

"Do you want to see the house?" Sam looked at Savannah with a smile. She immediately nodded, mentioning something to Maddie before disappearing up the stairs.

At this point, she was on one couch, Noah was on another, and the two other roommate, Maddie believed were Nate and Alex, maybe, were in the kitchen taking shot after shot. Maddie tipped her glass back, trying to calm her nerves a bit. Noah picked up his guitar, playing out a few chords.

Maddie watched as he just played around without much effort at all. It looked like to just came natural to him. "You're really good at that."

"I started playing when I was thirteen. I picked it up after hearing one of those heart-warming country songs. Mostly taught myself." Noah started strumming out a chord progression that Maddie immediately knew. "Ever hear this before?"

 _I just had an interesting conversation with Juliette. Home. Now._

Maddie's heart sank, but she didn't show it. "I'll keep coming back. Oh, it's true. I keep coming back. That's what I do. I retrace my tracks, to you." She looked up after singing a light tune.

He looked at her with an amused face, "So, you have a good taste in music as far as I can see so far, and you _can_ sing. I'm impressed."

 _Maddie, do I need to get you?_

Maddie looked at her phone with a sigh. This conversation with her father was going to be anything but fun. _Tootsies._ "So, that's the song that made you start playing?"

"Sure is. You could say I'm a slight fan of Deacon Claybourne," He smiled, placing his guitar back in its spot. "Do you want another drink, Maddie?"

She had to admit; it was unbelievable hearing how he said her name. "I really wish I could. I have to go. I'm sorry." Maddie grabbed her bag. "It was really nice to meet you, Noah."

"You as well. Hopefully, I'll catch you around, huh?"

She stopped and smiled, "Hopefully. Goodnight." Maddie shut the door behind herself, heading back to the venue. She could already she her father's car sitting in the lot. With a deep breath, she slid into the passenger seat. "Dad."

"Are you drunk?" He glanced at her.

"I had one drink," Maddie looked down, playing with the hair tie on her wrist. "Dad, I'm sorry. It's just that, if I asked you and Mom wouldn't let me go. I really wanted to go, and-"

"Maddie, you're seventeen. Could you really blame us for not wanting our daughter at a bar? You lied to me, even when I asked you a second time, you lied to me again. You're grounded, Maddie."

"This is so unfair. I'm not allowed to do _anything_." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning back in the front seat. As soon as the car stopped in front of her house, she jumped out, quickly running to her bedroom.

After sending a quick text to Savannah, she crawled into bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't get his face out of her mind. "Maddie."

"Leave me alone!"


End file.
